22597: (Hermantin) Miami-Herald-New security code at foreign ports stirs concerns (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Thu, Jul. 01, 2004




New security code at foreign ports stirs concerns

Shippers along the Miami River braced for delays at sea Wednesday, the day
before new international port security standards take effect.

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES

Miami Herald


One day a month, Villard Frederic travels to Miami from Haiti to oversee the
loading of his 160-foot freighter, Miss Dedette.

The cargo rarely changes: thousands of bags of rice, hundreds of gallons of
cooking oil, scores of used mattresses and vehicles, and hundrds of
makeshift boxes from South Florida Haitians sending staples back home to
feed their families.

But how long Frederic and others like him who ship to Haiti can continue
their work remains uncertain as new international security standards for
foreign ports take effect today.

One of a few of boat operators who travel to Port-de-Paix, Haiti, Frederic
says his is a much-needed service.

''I see this as my humanitarian duty,'' he said. `The people depend on what
I bring to eat. If you send one bag of rice, it feeds an entire family.''

Haiti only recently hired a foreign firm to help it figure out how to meet
the new code, which requires everything from fencing to security cameras to
background checks of port employees.

Pushed by the United States after 9/11, the measure was passed by the United
Nations' International Maritime Organization in December 2002. Its goal is
to prevent terrorism at sea by tightening security at all ports and on board
all vessels.

POSSIBLE DELAYS

On Wednesday, as ship operators finished up last minute security measures
onboard their vessels, many feared that they will still face delays at sea
because many of the foreign ports they are traveling into won't be ready.

''I am sure there is going to be a delay. There is no doubt about it,'' said
Richard Dubin, vice president of Haiti Shipping Lines, which travels to
Cap-Haitien.

Dubin, who visited the Cap-Haitien port last week, said it isn't ready. To
protect himself and minimize delays, the South Florida shipper has curtailed
his normal shipping route, which usually includes a stop to Freeport,
Bahamas.

''I don't think they will let me enter Freeport after going to a
non-compliant port,'' he said.

Before entering the Cap-Haitien port, Dubin said his vessel, which left
Miami this week, will increase security measures on board, then notify the
U.S. Coast Guard 96 hours before leaving Haiti of everything it did to
protect itself after entering an ''uncertified'' port.

''We will do things the port should have done to secure our vessel and the
surrounding area around the vessel,'' he said, declining to go into details.
``My inclination is they will look to see what we did, how reliable we are,
and on a case by case basis decide what to do.''

But Dubin admits that he has no idea what the Coast Guard will do after
today.

Many Haitians have been making a mad dash to ship their cargo to Haiti
before the deadline.

''This thing has given me one big headache. It doesn't sit well with me at
all,'' said Dieuseul Cherie, who spent an hour Wednesday trying to ship
several boxes on Frederic's boat to Port-de-Paix.

FAMILIES MAY SUFFER

Cherie, who has lived here for more than 24 years, said he tries to send
boxes home every month. If the boat stops, he said, he has no idea how his
family will survive.

''Father, brother, sister, they all have to eat,'' he said.

Frederic said while he may be able to dock at other ports within Haiti, the
trek will be too dangerous and difficult for his customers.

''They've told me that if we have to go to Cap-Haitien or Port-au-Prince,
they will not ship with us,'' he said. ``They've said they do not want their
family members getting killed for a bag of rice.''

SeaSecure, a Fort-Lauderdale company hired by several foreign governments,
including Haiti, helps the ports meet the new security measures. Kim
Petersen, the president of SeaSecure, said today will not provide a very
good gauge with what to expect in the coming weeks.

''Let's not fool ourselves, most foreign governments are not going to commit
economic suicide on the altar of counter-terrorism,'' Petersen said. ``You
are going to have most countries certify their port as compliant even if
they know full well they are not.''

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